Back connection feed unit



Oct. 19, 1948. QBRIEN ETAL 2,451,506

I BACK CONNECTION FEED UNIT Filed Nov. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 JdJfP/fF GEE/ N EA IL 5. BOVA/Td V INVENTORS Oct. 19, 1948. OBRIEN E A2,451,506

BACK CONNECTION FEED UNIT Filed Nov. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSBY I A RIQEY Patented Oct. 19, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BACKCONNECTION FEED UNIT New York Application November 29, 1944, Serial No.565,724

1 Claim. 1

The present invention relates to supply or feed sections particularlyarranged for seriatim electrical conduit systems.

More specifically, the present invention is directed to supply sectionsor feed units affording connection with the power lines through the backof the sections, as distinguished, for example, from those sectionswherein the power lines are brought in through an end or a side of thesection.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a section soconformed and constructed that it is capable of installation into theseriatim system in the same manner, except for its back connections, asthe other units of such system, and that it be symmetrical with suchother units, so as to give a uniform appearance to the whole of theconduit system.

Seriatim electrical conduit systems of the type generally comprise afeed or supply section, to which the power lines are directly connected,conductor or bus units, and outlet units. Generally, the outlet unitsresemble the conductor or bus units, except that they are provided withapertures through which the prongs of a plug are inserted for connectingwith electrical contact elements attached to the conductors of suchsection.

The sections usually each ma comprise a housing terminating at one endin a male extension and at the other in a complementary femaleextension, to afford telescopic mechanical connection and for effectingseries connection of the electrical conductors. Frequently, theelectrical conductors of such sections are solid wires.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of a bracket whichis adapted to be attached to the feed section proper as well as to carryand support the screw-clamp or coupling for engaging the BX cable of thepower line.

An object of the invention is to provide means for tightly securing suchbracket to the feed section.

A feature of the present invention is to provide means for isolating thewires of the power line which are brought into the section to beconnected to the respective conductors thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide conductors within thefeed section which are capable of large current carrying capacity. Tothis end, the power lines are brought in and connected to broad busbars, which are securely enclosed within the section.

Provision is made for electrical connection of such bus bars with solidconductor wires of an adjoining section of the conduit system.

Provision is also made for isolating within the feed section therespective bus bars from each other throughout their entire lengths.

Further features and objects of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a bottom View of the cover-plate of the housing of a supplysection pursuant to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the housing with its cover-plate and itsclosure base plate removed, showing the disposition of the bus bars andconductors therein;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the housing, opposite to that of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of one bus-bar and conductor employed in suchsupply section;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of a clamping member shown connectedwith an electrical conductor of an adjoining section;

Fig. '7 is a View of the housing similar to Fig. 2, its bus-bars andother parts bein removed.

Fig. 8 is an inside view of the closure base plate having attachedthereto a bracket and a BX cable coupling means;

Fig. 9 is an edge view of Fig. 8, showing the closure base plate,bracket and coupling assembly;

Fig. 10 is an end view of the female end of the assembled unit (minusthe bracket and coupling) Fig. 11 is an end view of the male end of saidunit;

Fig. 12 is a detail of a nut employed for engaging the BX cablecoupling;

Fig. 13 is an elevation of a standard BX cable coupling; and

Fig. 14 is a plan view of a bracket adapted to be attached to thesection and for engaging the coupling shown in Fig. 13.

Referring to the several views of the drawings, the exemplifiedembodiment of the invention comprises a main casing member or housingproper l0 having two parallel walls Illa, Illa, joined at their topedges by horizontal portions lllb, I 017; at the ends of the wallsjoining the side walls and top portions are transverse Walls I00, [00,from which transverse walls extends an elongated S-shaped longitudinalrib lfld, having bosses Ille, llJe, with holes I0 I01, passingtherethrough. A horizontal mezzanine or intermediate level portion lllgconnects the side walls and is integral with the transverse walls lflc,10c, through the medium of the outer arms of the longitudinal rib Hid.

Such longitudinal rib Hid, by its elongated S-shape between its outerarms, provides two mutually isolated compartments lllh, lOh, in whichare arranged to be disposed the flanged parts of bus bars described moreparticularly hereinafter. At each side of the transverse part I07 of therib llld is an opening I010; through these openings are passed the leadsof the power cable, as is xplained more full hereinafter. Recesses Him,Im, are provided in the mezzanine portion for accommodating otherflanged portions of the bus bars and their clamping mem bers, and alsothe lug portions attached to the bus bars and their clamping members, aswell as the electrical contact elements which may be attached to theconductors when the feed section is to function also as an outletsection.

Referring now more particularly to the bus bars l2, l2, each comprises aflat metal member having a longitudinally extending portion lza arrangedto snugly hug an inner side wall of the housing. Said memberis bent atright angles to its portion l2a, to form its flanged parts i212 and I20respectively, the former being disposed in an opening lllm, while thelatter is arranged to lie within a compartment lllh. The ends of the busbars opposite those having the flanged portions have soldered theretocylindrical conductors [2d,

I'Zd. Thes conductors are joined to the bus bars at their lugs indicatedat He, He, and such lugs may be utilized as electrical outlet elementsfor connection thereto by means of an electrical plug, the prongs ofwhich pass via slots l6b, l 6b in the cover l6 and into the openingsHim, Him in the housing proper.

To adapt the suppl or feed section for mechanical and electricalconnection with adjoining sections of a seriatim electrical conduitsystem, the conductors lZd, l2d, two in number in the instance of theillustrated embodiment, project beyond the male end, see Figs. 2, 3 and4, of the supply or feed unit, to be received within suitable sockets orthe like attached to like polar H conductors of the next adjoiningsection. For connection at the female end of the supply or feed sectionwith the thereat adjoining section having its conductors projectingbeyond its male end, suitable means are provided for electricalconnection with the respective bus bars l2, l2, such as the clampingplates l3, l3, see Fig. 6, and screws l4, l4. As shown, each clampingplate 13 has three upturned edge flanges, see also Fig. 10, to provideclearances l5, l5, for the reception and securement therein of the endof a conductor (indicated at 23, in Fig. 6) of the next adjoiningsection.

In order to gain access to the bus bars of the housing proper l2 and theconnections thereto, a removable cover [6 is provided having holes llia,Ilia, which are arranged to register, when the cover 56 is in position,with the holes lilf, H3),

in the bosses lGe, Hie. The cover is secured in place by means of screws(not shown) passing through such registered holes.

A closure plate H, see Figs. 8 and 9, is provided for the housing properiii, the closure plate having a longitudinal ridge Ha adjacent one ofits ends which, when in position, serves to isolate the clamping membersl3, l3, from one another. For like purposes, the longitudinal ridge l'lbat the opposite end of the base plate I! serves to isolate theconductors lZcZ, lZd.

Extending from the lateral sides of the base 7 plate I! are projectingportions l lo, l 10, which are arranged to be engaged by the grips liia,we of a bracket it, see Figs. 8 and 14. The bracket l8, as shown in Fig.14, comprises a substantially flat portion 1861 having a central openingI81), and also extensions I80 projecting in opposing directions at eachend of the bracket l8, its central body portion I'Bd beingofiset withrespect to the plane of the extensions I80, as clearly appears in Fig.9, to provide a clearance to accommodate a nut l9 and the threaded end20a of a conventional BX cable coupling 26, having the usual cableclamping screw engaging lugs such as the lug 20b. The assembly of thebracket IS with the nut I9 and coupling 20, see Figs. 12 and 13, issecured to the feed section by engagement of the grips l8a of thebracket l8 with the projecting portions l 10 of the base plate l'i, thenplacing the base plate in proper relation with the housing proper ID tolocate the projecting portions lie respectively within the recesses lilpof the housing proper, see Figs. 3 and l, and upon securing the baseplate to the housing proper, the end portions of the grips l8a arelocked within the recesses Hip between the inner surface of the baseplate i! and the faces of the recesses IQ of the housing proper. Thebracket i8 is firmly locked relative to the assembly by tightening thenut 9 with respect to the threaded end of the BX cable coupling20.

The opening lid of the base plate l'l aflfords entry of the leads of thesupply cable, for connection respectively to the bus bars l2, l2.

Screws 2i, 21, see Fig. 2, are provided for anchoring the flanges H20,520 of the bus bars'to the mezzanine of the housing l2, and bindingscrews 22, 22, serve to connect the leads of the cable to the bus bars,namely, by connection of such screws 22, 22 with the indicated openingsin the flanged parts l2c, l2c of the respective bus conductors l2.

What we claim is:

A feed unit of a seriatim electrical conduit system comprising aself-enclosed housing including a separable base member, said housingand said base member being formed of insulating material, said housinghaving a female formation at one end and a male formation at itsopposite end, electrical conductors extending longitudinally into saidhousing and having their ends projecting from said male end formation, alongitudinal partition extending from the inner face of the front wallof said housing for isolating said electrical conductors, .a set ofrecesses extending transversely of said housing, said recessescorresponding in number to the number of said electrical conductors, anumber of bus conductors coextensive with said housing and correspondingto the number of said electrical conductors, said bus COI'ldllCtOI'sbeing respectively connected to said electrical conductors at theirrespective ends inwardly of said housing, each of said bus conductorscomprising a longitudinally extending flat strip portion, and furthercomprising at one end an arcuately configurated hollow arm arranged toreceive the inward end of its associated electri cal conductor, anopening formed in said base member through which power s pply leads maypass, and'apertures formed in said housing substantially in alignmentwith said arcuately hollow arms for the reception of the blades of anelectrical connector plug.

JOSEPH F. OBRIEN. EARL S, BOYNTON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the filo ofthis patent:

UNIED- STATES PATENTS

